Preparing for Potter

As you can see above, the Harry Potter book release is getting closer by the day. With that, I'm faced with a lot of emotions. Of course, I'm totally excited. I mean, the final book is coming out! We get a resolution to the series, and (hopefully) answers to many of the questions I and many other fans have been wondering about. However, I could almost stay in this waiting phase forever. I mean, the series is ending. Ending. Forever. The Harry Potter story will be over. When I read the last word of the last book, that's the last new Harry Potter word I'll ever read. I don't know if I want to live in a world with no new Harry Potter stuff.

Ok, I'm being dramatic. But only a little. It really is the end of an era, and I'm happy that I'm going to be with my best friend in the world, Amanda, when this all goes down (hopefully, I'll be able to see my other best friend on the planet, Meredith, either before, or after, on my birthday). Due to the luck of the stars above, I'm going to be in the DC area around the time of the HP book release for a several fundraising conferences. Amanda is the one that introduced me to the Harry Potter series, and who has graciously withstood my complete geekitude (dorkitude?) throughout the years. We've always wanted to go to an event together, and though that partially came true in November of 2005 (for the release of the Goblet of Fire movie), getting together for a book release, especially the final book release, is the ultimate dream.

So what am I doing to prepare for the release of the final Harry Potter book? Well, with 126 days until Release Day, preparations have started. I've started listening to MuggleCast again in earnest. There are about 80 episodes now (as compared to 30 episodes when I stopped listening about a year ago), and I'm currently listening to episode 23. Out of 80. So I have a good chunk left to go. However, these podcasts are very valuable as far as trying to come up with new theories, and understanding what's happened thus far. Right now, they're discussing whether or not Dumbledore is actually dead (he is -- get over it. Also, Snape is good).

I've also been looking at merchandise to buy that I can wear to the Order of the Phoenix premiere and the book release. I've trolled CafePress.com (shudder, *see below), and a bunch of other sites. I think I'm going to buy a wand (from which vendor I'm not yet sure), some professionally made Gryffindor school robes (lined in scarlet satin!), several t-shirts, housewares, and bumper stickers from CafePress, and a few Gryffindor sweaters. I'd like to do this before the book release, because I expect a large drop-off in HP stuff for sale afterward.

To keep myself in the spirit of HP, I purchased two Harry Potter ringtones today. I'm also rereading the entire series, over and over until July 21. Why this enormous show of complete geekitude? I'd like to be able to reference parts in the other books when I'm reading Deathly Hallows. Starting with the second book (and even in the first), there are things that are mentioned that I believe are going to be very important. I want to make sure I catch them if not on the first time around, then on the second.

*Ok, here's the deal with CafePress and the Harry Potter fan community. I consider myself a fan, but I don't consider myself a part of the core fan community of active participants in things like forums, podcasts, fan art, and fan fiction. Why? Cause some of those people are scary. No lie. They are seriously fucked up in a number of ways. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good fans. The podcasters on MuggleCast are great. There are a lot of people that like HP like I do -- innocently, with a true interest in the mythology and canon of the series. Then, there are people who write fan fiction. Now, the whole community isn't bad, but there is something out there called slash fiction. Slash fiction is a less graphic way of saying same sex or homosexual fan fiction. There are people who write Harry and Draco fanfic. Harry and Snape. Snape and Draco. Snape and Flitwick. Snape and Hagrid. It's sick, twisted, and wrong. The people who write and support that kind of stuff are dirtying something innocent and pure. Now, let me explain some of the terminology. Each of those pairings are called "ships," short for relationships. Each ship has a fan following, called a "fandom." These evil HP sinners are actually creating graphics for their fandoms and selling them on CafePress. This "I [heart] My Fandom" graphic is supporting Harry and Snape love. It's totally revolting.

Enough HP talk for now. I'll gab about my road trip later.